Editor’s Note: We’ll have a Woodberry/Episcopal Briefing tomorrow.
Region 4D Quarterfinals: Halifax (7-2) at Western (9-1), 7 p.m. Friday
The Basics: Western Albemarle’s Joey Burch was quick to say last week after the win over Orange County that finishing out the regular season well was nice but he was putting a lot of emphasis on the postseason. Now the postseason is here and the Warriors are in a Region 4D that is stout from top to bottom. Western’s first round matchup is no exception. The Comets’ two losses, to GW-Danville and Bassett, are quality losses, just like the Warriors’ lone defeat is to a top notch opponent in Louisa. Expect the Warriors, as usual, to give Halfax a heavy dose of 1,000+ yard rusher Kaden Morrow behind an offensive that has been firing on all cylinders lately. If the Warriors get that same push and can build an early lead, that’ll go a long way towards propelling the Warriors forward in the playoffs. Once Western has an early lead the going gets even tougher against that defense that has been locked in most of the season.
Key Matchup: Western’s Albemarle’s linebacking corps take on Halifax quarterback Dakii Chandler. Western is extremely disciplined all over the defense, but that starts with the linebackers, a group led by Carson Tujague and Ross Bassett that sticks to plan, reads and reacts. In Dakii Chandler the Warriors face a dual threat who can run or pass out of multiple looks, from zone read stuff out of the gun to attacking through the air after relocating the pocket. Expect the Warriors to draw on their experience against Goochland’s C.J. Towles, a similarly dynamic dual threat. Western did an incredible job of keeping Towles contained, forcing him to attack through the air from the pocket.
Who to Watch: Western Albemarle’s Kyle Keyton. Keyton is an underrated piece of the puzzle for the Warriors, filling a specific role on offense as a short yardage and lead blocker at fullback. He’s also quietly had a productive season at linebacker with 8.5 TFL, the top total on the team. If Keyton is playing well, it has impact on both sides of the ball, bringing a physicality and edge to the offensive and defensive units. The Warriors will need that this week.
The Line: Western Albemarle by 7. The Warriors have a favorable matchup here.
Region 5D Quarterfinals: No. 5 Albemarle (8-2) at No. 4 Riverbend (8-2), 7 p.m.
The Basics: Things seemed briefly bleak for Albemarle when it lost to Western by one in early October. But since then? Albemarle has been all business including the huge win over Louisa County. That win over the Lions put them in position to take on Riverbend on the road where without it they’d have slipped further down the seedings and perhaps gotten jammed with, perhaps, unbeaten Stonebridge in the first round. Instead, in a deep region, they get a tough opponent in Riverbend, who has turned things around in the last four years. Albemarle will face a seasoned squad that’s challenged week in and week out and has been in some out-and-out battles while also notching a win against the region’s No. 3 seed and a near miss against the region’s No. 2 seed. There are no playoff pushovers in Region 5D of course, but Albemarle is going to have to raise its game quickly while still sticking with what got them here — a smothering defense and an incredibly dynamic batch of playmakers on offense orchestrated by sophomore quarterback Amaje Parker.
Key Matchup: Albemarle’s defense takes on Riverbend’s Aiden Fisher. While the offense has been dynamic for the Patriots, Albemarle’s 8-2 mark is largely a credit to the Patriots’ defense, a stingy group that’s only giving up 12 points per game this year. Now they face Riverbend’s multi-faceted offense that includes Fisher, who rushed for 117 yards against Mountain View last week to help Riverbend hand Mountain View its first loss of the season last week.
Who to Watch: Albemarle’s Eb McCarthy. It’s not time to overthink this one. This time of year, if you’ve got a great running back — and McCarthy is a great running back — give him the ball and let him cook. McCarthy can break big runs on the edge or pound away between the tackles. He’s a versatile threat who has been a major impact piece for the Patriots and while Noah Grevious has been a dynamic fill-in, when McCarthy is in there pounding away, it allows Grevious to get to the edge and wreak havoc. McCarthy is the offense’s beating heart right now. Look for the Patriots to let him take the lead Friday.
The Line: Albemarle by 1. The Patriots seem to have caught fire at the right time, look for them to keep it going.
Region 3B Quarterfinals: No. 5 Culpeper (4-6) at No. 4 Goochland (5-5), Friday 7 p.m.
The Basics: Goochland gets an interesting opportunity here. After playing a challenging regular season schedule in the Jefferson and in their out-of-district matchups as opposed to the James River District slate that they’ve handled regularly, the Bulldogs find themselves in a familiar spot — hosting a region playoff game. They face a team that mirrors them in some ways, as Culpeper has also played a challenging schedule and they’re also stumbling coming into this one having lost three straight just like the Bulldogs. It’s not often that the playoff path seems easier than the regular season, but there’s an argument to be made here that Goochland faces a much easier potential path through the region than the three Class 5 and Class 4 opponents they just faced in a row coming into the postseason. They also have a defense that’s playing better than their record shows, and if the offense can get some things going, it could be exactly the spark they need.
Key Matchup: Goochland’s front seven takes on Culpeper running back Malachi Terrell. Terrell has been a consistent presence in the Blue Devils’ offense and the Bulldogs will have to play top notch defensive football to stop him, but Goochland has been playing pretty good defense all year. If the offense helps the defense out and keeps Terrell off the field for longer stretches, it’ll be a huge boost.
Who to Watch: Goochland’s ground game. The Bulldogs got Gabe Liptak back a short time ago and that helped, but the Bulldogs need some consistency here, whether it’s Liptak, Omarion Quarles or Jason Woodson or whoever to take some pressure off C.J. Towles. Look for the Bulldogs to try and kick the offense into gear on the ground as Culpeper has shown some vulnerability against the run at times this year.
The Line: Goochland by 7. The Bulldogs get on track here at home.
Region 2B Quarterfinals: No. 5 Buckingham (6-2) at No. 4 Strasburg (8-2), Friday 7 p.m.
The Basics: Buckingham waited 19 months to play a game and dropped their season opener to Fluvanna and since then they’ve lost just one game, to Region 2A No. 1 seed Nottoway. The Knights beat Central Lunenburg in overtime for a critical victory and then crushed Cumberland a few days later, so they’re coming in with some serious confidence. Strasburg, in the meantime, just dropped a game to Region 2B top seed Central and they’re definitely coming in on less of a roll, but they’re still a formidable opponent, especially with the Knights making a long road trip. Can Buckingham build on its late season momentum and get rolling against the Rams?
Key Matchup: Strasburg’s linebackers deal with K.J. Williams. Strasburg sees a variety of unique offensive approaches in the Bull Run and the Rams employ one of their own running a lot of T-formation action, but Buckingham’s ground and pound style is augmented by Williams’ dynamic ability as a runner. He can pound away inside or fight his way over the goal line or break to the edge and take off down the sideline. The Rams’ linebackers have to be ready to run sideline to sideline or Williams is going to hurt them.
Who to Watch: Buckingham’s offensive line. The Knights’ offensive line is a source for strength for Buckingham with some seasoned linemen in the mix capable of paving the way for Dalante Woodson or K.J. Williams. When they go to their vaunted Knight set, Buckingham is content to move the ball inch by inch down the field, or spring a back for a chunk play up the middle. Either way, you’re going to have to bring the physicality against this group up front.
The Line: Buckingham by 1. The Knights are built for November football, look for them to get the better of Strasburg here.
Region 4D Quarterfinals: No. 5 Louisa County (8-2) at No. 4 E.C. Glass (8-2), Thursday 7 p.m.
The Basics: The simple fact of E.C. Glass and Louisa being fourth and fifth seeds gives you some idea of the depth of Region 4D. This one isn’t just one of the best matchups involving a local team, this is one of the best matchups in the state this week. The Hilltoppers, coached by former Monticello head man Jeff Woody, have only dropped games to Heritage and Lynchburg Christian, the top two seeded teams in Region 3C. Louisa’s losses are to unbeaten King George and 8-2 Albemarle. This one will be a clash of creative coaches who have some serious offensive weapons and some familiarity not usually seen in the playoffs because of Woody’s two-year stint in the district at the helm for the Mustangs. The Hilltoppers want to air it out while Louisa is more than willing to run it over and over again if it’s working like it did when they cruised past Western in Crozet. Can the Lions get that run game going on the road and play November football like they did against Goochland last week? This one has the potential to be extremely fun.
Key Matchup: E.C. Glass’ front seven takes on the Louisa ground attack. Louisa is challenging to defend because while you know the Lions are going to relentlessly run the ball with an array of ball carriers led by quarterback Landon Wilson and the versatile Jordan Smith. But if you commit too many to stopping the run, that creates single coverage opportunities for the speedy Jaylen Beach, Chase Miller and now, suddenly, linebacker Stephen Dean playing on the boundary. That means that Glass is going to have to get stout performances up front if they want to still be able to give their corners safety help and not have to walk everyone into the box.
Who to Watch: Louisa County’s defensive line. The Lions were in postseason form last week against Goochland, with Eli Brooks being particularly disruptive. With Brooks and Qwenton Spellman, providing pressure that could make life challenging on E.C. Glass quarterback George White, who has thrown for over 2,000 yards. Louisa has to get the Hilltoppers out of rhythm because when a Woody-led offense is in a rhythm it’s a dangerous thing.
The Line: Louisa by 1. This one has the potential to be a thriller.
Region 4D Quarterfinals: No. 7 Orange County (6-4) at No. 2 GW Danville (7-1), 7 p.m.
The Basics: Orange County’s fall has been so impressive, and it’s a couple of plays away from being magical. The Hornets have made good on every bit of potential they showed in the spring and they’re now in the playoffs for the first time since 2017. It’s gotten lost on some level how good of a year this has been and how well Paul Poirier has played in every phase of the game. The reward for all that hard work is a long road trip and a battle with a physical G.W. Danville squad that is going to test the Hornets once again. George Washington boasts a multi-faceted ground attack that’ll definitely force players like Bryant Chiles to step up defensively and the Hornets will certainly need some breaks to go their way. But as exciting as this fall has been, maybe Orange has some more magic left in the tank.
Key Matchup: GW Danville’s defense locks up with Paul Poirier. Poirier has bested or challenged defense after defense this year and now he faces one of his toughest tests yet with a unit giving up 16.6 points per game. If Poirier can bring his particular brand of magic, it’ll go a long way toward pushing the Hornets into position to compete in this one.
Who to Watch: Orange County’s Christian Simpson. Simpson’s emergence on the ground has been a huge late season boost for the Hornets who’ve leaned on Poirier for so much. But Simpson has forced defenses to honor the running back spot and not load up completely against Poirier and Simpson rushed for 96 yards against a tough Western defense last week.
The Line: G.W. Danville by 7. Orange faces a challenging opponent, but the Hornets have the ability to make this one close and possibly steal one.
Region 2B Quarterfinals: No. 8 Madison County (3-7) at No. 1 Central-Woodstock (8-1), TBA Saturday
The Basics: Anybody outside the Mountaineers’ locker room who says they had Madison in the playoffs going into this season is a liar, but the Mountaineers have preserved and found a way to wedge themselves into the postseason as the No. 8 seed. That’s a huge accomplishment for Madison who Larry Helmick is rebuilding block-by-block the right way, unwilling to take shortcuts. Instead Madison took its lumps during the pandemic and then with an injection of talent and experience gained for younger players like junior quarterback Wade Fox, the Mountaineers have become a tough out and now a playoff squad. This one has been thrown into flux with the Mountaineers’ COVID situation, so we’ll see how that impacts the game, but Central is a formidable opponent, a fact Madison knows after getting beat 63-26 by Central early this season. That loss gives the Mountaineers an excellent opportunity to use this weekend’s clash as a measuring stick for exactly how much the program has improved since the early stages of this fall season.
Key Matchup: Central’s front seven takes on Madison quarterback Fox. Fox threw for 132 yards and has stepped up his accuracy while reducing his turnovers of late, but he can also hurt defenses with his legs, which puts a lot of pressure on Central’s linebackers who will have to play smart football. On the flip side, Central’s own dual threat quarterback Ashton Baker will stress the Madison defense in many of the same ways.
Who to Watch: Madison County’s Morgan Thompkins. After surrendering 63 earlier this year to Central, the defense is going to have to play improved football for the Mountaineers to have a shot in this one, and Thompkins is key to that. He had 7.5 tackles and two forced fumbles against Luray a week ago. If he brings that same intensity it should be a huge boost for Madison.
The Line: Central by 10. The Falcons are a tough opponent, but Madison is vastly improved. Can they put a scare into their district foe?
